TiO2 Antireflection Coating Deposited by Electro-Beam Evaporation: Thin Film Thickness Effect on Weighted Reflectance and Surface Passivation of Silicon Solar Cells

Titanium dioxide was extensively used in solar cell industry and currently has been studied to produce passivated contacts in PERC/PERT and TOPCon solar cells. The aim of this paper was to analyze the impact of the thickness of TiO2 thin films deposited by electro-beam evaporation on the weighted reflectance and the surface passivation on silicon solar cells. Thin films with different thicknesses were deposited to produce PERT solar cells, varying from 50 to 90 nm. The surface passivation was enhanced as the thickness was increased. For instance, at 400 nm, the internal quantum efficiency increased from 71% to 76% when the thickness of the TiO2 was augmented from 50 nm to 90 nm. The lowest weighted reflectance was obtained in samples with 80 nm thick TiO2 films. Considering the compromise between antireflection properties and surface passivation, the highest efficiency solar cells were produced with 80 nm thick TiO2.

Automated summary

This study analyzed the impact of titanium dioxide thin film thickness on the weighted reflectance and surface passivation of silicon solar cells. Results showed that increasing the thickness enhanced surface passivation and improved internal quantum efficiency. The optimal thickness was found to be 80 nm, which achieved a balance between antireflection properties and surface passivation, leading to the highest efficiency solar cells.